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Physiological and nutrition-related challenges asperceived by spinal cord-injured endurance hand cyclists
Full text linkJournal Article,Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science,North--West University-PotchefstroomThis study explored the perceptions of spinal cord-injured (SCI) endurance hand cyclists regarding their physiological andnutrition-related challenges and the perceived impact of these challenges on nutritional intake and exercise capacity. This wasan interpretive qualitative descriptive study in which semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 adult South Africannational-level SCI endurance hand cyclists. Thematic analysis was used to explore perceptions regarding physiological andnutrition-related challenges and the impact thereof on nutritional practices and exercise capacity. Four themes emerged fromthe interviews: (i) physiological challenges experienced, (ii) nutrition-related challenges experienced, (iii) changes in nutri-tional practices, and (iv) compromised exercise capacity. The SCI endurance hand cyclists reported a number of physiologicaland nutrition-related challenges. Bowel and bladder challenges, limited hand function, muscle spasms, thermoregulatory chal-lenges, pressure sores, menstrual periods, and low iron levels/anaemia were perceived to predominantly impact food and fluidintake (restrict intake) and compromise exercise capacity. This information can assist to devise tailored guidelines aimed tooptimise fluid intake, overcome bladder challenges and ensure adequate nutritional intake in light of limited hand functio
Chemical composition and antifertility effect of a South African herbal mixture in female Sprague-Dawley rats
Full text linkJournal Article, Faculty of Health Sciences, Preclinical Drug Development Platform (PCDDP)-- Potchefstroom CampusHerbal contraceptives are often considered as an affordable and accessible option for birth control practice. This study evaluated the antifertility activity of a South African herbal mixture made from three plants (Helichrysum caespititium (DC.) Sond. ex Harv, Bulbine frutescens (L.) Willd and Teucrium trifidum Retz; ratio 1:1:1) in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Phytochemical profile of the herbal extract was analysed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). To determine the effects of the herbal mixture on the oestrus cycle, 20 female Sprague‑Dawley rats were divided into four groups (A, B, C, and D) of 5 rats per group. Group A served as the control and received distilled water for 21 days. Group B, C and D received the herbal mixture extract at a dosage of 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg, respectively, for 21 days, and vaginal smears were monitored daily. To evaluate the effects of the extract on the reproductive outcome, 21 female rats were divided into 3 groups (Groups E, F, and G), consisting of 7 rats per group. Group E served as the control and received distilled water. Group F received 300 mg/kg of the extract pre-coital for 5 days, while Group G received 300 mg/kg of the extract prior to mating with continuous administration for 14 days. The phytochemical analysis of the herbal extract revealed the presence of 19 compounds, notably verbascoside, which is known to exert either oestrogenic or anti-estrogenic activities. The results showed that 300 and 500 mg/kg dose extended (p < 0.05) the duration of the metestrus phase when compared to the control, confirming the disruption of the oestrous cycle. The prolonged metestrus phase of the oestrus cycle by the herbal extract could be indicative of low reproductive hormones, decreasing the probability of conception. However, the herbal extract at 300 mg/kg had no antifertility activity in female Sprague-Dawley rats based on the number of litters in the treatment group relative to the control. It will be pertinent to assess other parameters such as anti-implantation activity, estrogenic/anti-estrogenic activity and hormonal analysis in future studies.Acknowledgements
We are indebted to Mme Mamablomo (traditional health practitioner) for her help in collecting plants. We thank PCDDP for the funding and facilities used for this study. We thank Dr Weiyang Chen and her team from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) for their assistance with the phytochemical analysis.
Funding
Financial support from the Higher Degree Committee, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University is appreciated. This study was also supported by the DSI/NWU Preclinical Drug Development Platform (PCDDP) research entity. AOA acknowledges the financial support from the National Research Foundation (NRF: Incentive funding for Rated Researchers- IPRR, grant no: 1507340) Pretoria, South Africa
Perspectives of Xenophobic Attacks and United Nations’ Peaceful Co-existence Order: A Study of South Africa
Full text linkJournal Articles. Department of Afrocentric Governance of Public Affairs, North West University. VanderbijlparkThis study aimed at ascertaining the impacts of the mayhem on the peaceful co-existence of the United Nations member countries. The study utilised case study and content analysis owing to its qualitative nature. However, the study revealed that xenophobic attacks in South Africa have tampered with the United Nations’ purpose of maintaining international peace and security among member nations, both their citizens and their properties, and have also tampered with member countries’ friendliness, equality and mutual respectfulness. The study concluded with the following recommendations: the United Nations should impose heavy sanctions on the government of South Africa to prevent other countries from perpetrating such dastardly acts in the near future; and the South African government should, by all means, prevail on its citizens to establish and maintain friendliness and brotherliness with foreigners in South Africa
Emma Renzi: Van operasangeres tot sangpedagoog: ʼn Filosofiese blik
Full text linkJournal Article. MASARA Research Unit. School of Music. North-West UniversityIn one sense, this article is an autobiography about Emma Renzi, who turned 97 on 8 April 2023. Renzi was an internationally celebrated South African opera singer who was also a pedagogue and a role model for many singers during the second phase of her illustrious career. The transition from singer to exceptionally gifted pedagogue was a conscious decision that she made to express her convictions that she should live her life and her talents in the most positive and focused way. It is thus this odyssey that is investigated and analysed in this article.
Due to the nature of our bond, the discussions in this article focus on Renzi’s professional career, her memories of a specific era, the technical aspects of singing instruction, and the challenges of a professional singing career. The wealth of Renzi’s first-hand experiences and her knowledge of styles in various singing genres are invaluable for the development of young singers and instructors. It is also of historical importance for South Africans to honour the legacy of a singer who achieved international fame during her career and made it her life’s mission to pass on the insights she gained to her students. In this way, she shaped them with professionalism, compassion, and understanding, enabling them to pursue illustrious and fulfilling careers of their own.
Autobiographical research includes narratives as well as the views of other authorities about lived experiences and their significance for singers and singing pedagogues. In this study, it was possible to lead and shape students and not merely teach them.
A framework for the article was constructed by describing special experiences and challenges. Problems, life conditions and the informal interaction between Renzi and the audience, conductors, co-singers, agents, and students are highlighted. Ultimately, the meaning of Renzi’s career is underlined for South Africans. Her lived experiences as an international singer and renowned pedagogue offer a valuable background for singers and teachers to help singers realise their full human capacity
Neerslae van mediosferiese veranderings, veral die meer onlangse digitale wending, in die skep en ervaar van digkuns, gedemonstreer met Afrikaanse voorbeelde
Full text linkJournal Article, Eenheid vir Tale en Letterkunde in die Suid-Afrikaanse Konteks, Noordwes-UniversiteitThis investigative survey focuses on the ways in which historic mediospheric changes (Debray 2000), namely the establishment of the letterpress industry since the 15th century and, since the late 20th century, the development of digital soft- and hardware, have influenced the creation, mediation and reception of poetry. Examples from the Afrikaans poetry system serve as illustrative material of such manifestations.
While rhythmic-musical structuring so characteristic of oral poetry from the logospheric era has survived in fixed verse forms, the visual prosodic characteristics of printed poems have gained equal prominence in the graphospheric age. The latter characteristics include forms and effects which are often not perceptible to listeners during oral recitals of such poems: enjambments and caesuras in free verse forms (with resulting tension play between syntactic and versification structuring, as well as effectuation of “positional points of focus” in verse structures – Cloete 2013) and visual meaning suggestion, for example in concrete poems (Kleyn 2012a and 2012b). A variety of Afrikaans poetry creations are referred to or briefly discussed as illustrative of the growing awakening to such developments in the graphospheric era. These examples include, firstly, the various forms in which the early 20th-century Afrikaans poem “Winternag” (Winter’s night), a poem by Eugène N. Marais recently voted to be the most popular poem in the language (Leserskring 2013), had been published; secondly, more recent examples of concrete, ekphrastic and visual poems which had often been displayed in exhibition venues before being included in published collections.
Aspects of the latter poem types were often continued in the characteristics of poetry created for, or by means of, the media emanating from the “digital turn” of the 1990’s (Azcárate and Sukla 2015a). The development of digital programs and devices got a next poetry creation and publication trend going: the electronic poetry of the videospheric age. With the qualifier “electronic”, poetry is indicated which is deliberately created for digital platforms, or which is brought into being by means of the possibilities introduced by electronic software. Typically, such poetry creations are of a multimodal, hybrid and interdisciplinary nature (Greyling 2023); regarding the reception thereof, an interactive involvement by the poetry experiencer is prominent (Rettberg 2019).
Neither the development of visuality-driven poem types in the graphospheric era, nor the electronic poetry of the videospheric age has displaced poetry of a more traditional, rhythmic musical prosodic nature from the canon. On the contrary, the digital turn, through media like the radio, television, the World Wide Web and social media, has played a major role in revitalising song and performance arts. Poetry on paper or on exhibition, and oral poetry, exist as strong currents alongside each other, sometimes in interaction with each other. Furthermore, the re-exploration and integration of both the rhythmic-phonic and the figurative-visual elements of versification traditions, as well as the combining of lingual, visual and auditory material, have been strongly stimulated by discoveries and developments in the field of electronics.
Following the example of, among others, the Electronic Literature Organisation, a leading, representative institution in the field, and using the summary by Greyling (2023) in this regard, three broad developments in electronic literature/poetry are identified. First-generation electronic literature included pre-web experimentation with digital media, like combinatory ways of creative writing and early examples of hypertext fiction. The second generation, a reality since 1995, reflects the flourishing of the World Wide Web and of the implementation of purpose-made interfaces, as well as of the platforms and programming made possible by these. The implementation of multimedia and of forms like animation, kinetic text and sound, as well as interactive fiction with marked game-like elements, became a reality in literature creation; as did experimentation with interaction between digitally presented texts and tactile three dimensional spaces, for example by means of site-specific installations and locative literature.
Since 2005 a so-called third generation of electronic literary creations stands out (Flores 2019).
It involves works in which use is made of established platforms with massive user bases, like social media networks, software, mobile and touch-screen devices and application programming interfaces (Greyling 2023). Where first- and second-generation electronic literature still reflected identification with press- and art-media traditions, third generation e-literature works, as far as formats and publication models are concerned, are characterised by identification with electronic and digital media, through which video production and interactive works have become possible. Even mechanical creation of texts by means of Artificial Intelligence and natural language processing has become a reality, raising challenging questions regarding prevailing processes and conventions of the literary system (Moll 2023; Van Heerden 2023a).
As, however, Flores (2019) and Greyling (2023) indicate, the third-generation developments with regard to electronic software and hardware have not prevented the revival, albeit in new shapes, of literary forms associated with earlier e-literature generations. The e-literature field contains divergent genres, and the blurring of genre boundaries and the migration of conventions and ideas among genres are strikingly characteristic (Rettberg 2019:117).
Following findings by, especially, Rettberg (2019), and nuanced and supplemented by insights from Funkhouser (2008:320–5) and Stein (2010:127–34) regarding poetry categories of eliterature, the following digital poetry genres are discussed, with reference to Afrikaans examples of these: digital poetry of a kinetic and multimedia nature, often requiring interaction between text and text experiencer in the concretisation process; locative (site-specific) poetry installations; hypertext/hypermedia poetry; network poetry creation; and computer-assisted generative and combinatory poetry writing.
Despite some similarities between certain avant-garde trends from the modernist age of printed poetry and certain poetry developments since the digital turn, it is also clear that many of the characteristics of electronic poetry creations display radical differences from those of much of the poetry on the print-page. Firstly, the options to combine, change and perform various modalities are far more extensive in digital than in print poetry. Whereas, secondly, in print poetry precedence is traditionally given to a single, often auctorial “I”, digital poetry is characterised, rather, by the acceptance of, or openness to, authorship plurality (such as when poets, electronic animators or film artists co-operate in the creation of a graphic poem or a film verse, or when Artificial Intelligence is employed in the process). For this reason, it is experienced internationally (Strickland 2009), including in the Afrikaans literary world (Greyling 2023), that creators of, and researchers into, digital literature mostly find themselves in interdisciplinary environments. Thirdly, fidelity to a fixed text (on paper) is, in many instances, replaced by a pursuance of kinetic, variable and even temporary text – which underpins Rettberg’s (2019:8) emphasis on the fact that electronic literary genre distinctions, like those with regard to digital poetry mentioned above, do not imply fixed genre boundaries; such boundaries should be seen as situation frameworks rather than invariable categories (Greyling 2023). Fourthly, the heterogeneity and multimodality which characterises digital poetry creation stand in contrast to the “unity” of print-text poetry (Strickland 2009; De Jager 2016). Printed poetry’s confidence in a physically closed text-page must, in the fifth place, make way for dependence on readers’ / text experiencers’ interactive contributions in choosing text versions or in adding components in realising certain digital poem types (Stein 2010:117). This is why new-media products should be viewed as processes, interlocutions or projects rather than works in the conventional literary sense (Greyling 2023). Lastly, the traditional loyalty to the performance space of the page is partly replaced by an attachment to the digital device screen or the exhibition/installation site as spaces in which poetry is presented for experiencing (Stein 2010:117).
As scholars like De Jager (2016) and Dera, Posman and Van der Starre (2016) have pointed out, millennial poets conjoin the “multi-medial experience culture” characterising the current way of life. Millennials are, after all, “digital natives” (as Gary Small described them – see Stein 2010:101), a generation strongly experiencing page-printed poetry as falling short regarding the advantages presented by the digital media, namely saving, sharing, linking and consulting from a distance (Hisgen and Van der Weel 2022:188).
Therefore, although T’Sjoen (2015:109) could, a number of years ago, still conclude that rather little had been achieved in terms of digital and intermedial poetry in a smaller literary system like that of Afrikaans, this study has yielded notable evidence of more recent creative developments in this regard in the language. It is probably only the range of expertise, coupled with the use of all the new media resources, as well as the considerable costs attached to programming by new media specialists and to the creation of sound and visual material to accompany and to be integrated with lingual text, that serve as obstacles to digital poetry’s growing into a strong genre alongside oral and print-page poetry, also in Afrikaans
Electrochemical detection of tryptophan in pineapple fruit using a green and chemically synthesized PANI/CuO nanocomposite modified electrode
Full text linkFaculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, North-West University
(Mafikeng Campus), Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South AfricaThis study investigated the electrochemical detection of Tryptophan (Trp) in pineapple using a
glassy carbon electrode (GCE) modified with nanocomposites of green and chemically synthesized copper oxide-polyaniline (PANI/CuOgrn and PANI/CuOchm). Given the properties of PANI/
CuOgrn and PANI/CuOchm that have never been applied in the detection of Trp, it indicates that
the development of a highly sensitive and selective sensing platform for Trp-is necessary. Such a
platform would take advantage of high electric conductivity, larger surface area, and improved
catalytic activity of the nanocomposites. PANI/CuOgrn and PANI/CuOchm nanocomposites were
formed by doping polyaniline (PANI) with green and chemically synthesized copper oxide (CuO)
nanoparticles. Using Debye-Scherrer the particle sizes of PANI/CuOgrn and PANI/CuOchm were
found to be 15 nm and 13 nm, respectively. Through cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave
voltammetry (SWV), the electrochemical behaviour of CuOch, CuOgrn, PANI/CuOchm, and
PANI/CuOgrn electrodes was studied, with the focus on comparing the nanocomposites for
tryptophan (Trp) catalysis. GCE-PANI/CuOchm showed a higher current response of 3.2 μA than
GCE-PANI/CuOgrn. SWV was used to determine Trp, with the linear range of 5.11 μM to 25.85
μM and limit of detection (LOD) values of 3.947 and 2.037 μM for GCE-PANI/CuOchm, and 3.434
and 2.427 μM for GCE-PANI/CuOgrn. The GCE-PANI/CuOchm electrode achieved a recovered
percentage of 96 % to 109 %, with an average RSD value of 18.3 (n=3), while the GCE-PANI/
CuOchm electrode achieved a percentage recovery of 85 % to 103 % with an RSD value of
12.7 (n=3). The high recovery percentages for both electrodes confirm their dependability in
detecting Trp. The high concentration of Trp-in the fruit and the electrode’s sensitivity to identifying Trp-in actual sample analysis may account for the high recovery percentage observed
GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND COST ANALYSIS OF BROILER CHICKS FED VARYING DIETARY LEVELS OF BENZOIC ACID
Full text linkConference Contribution, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (Food and Security)--Northwest University, Mahikeng CampusA four-week study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance of broiler chicks fed varying dietary levels of benzoic acid. A total of one hundred and twenty (120) day-old unsexed “Arbor acre” strain broiler chicks were randomly assigned into five treatment groups. Each treatment group contained 24 birds replicated three times with 8 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design (CRD). The treatments were designated as follows: Treatment 1,0g benzoic acid; Treatment 2, 2.5g benzoic acid per kg of feed; Treatment 3, 5.0g benzoic acid per kg of feed; Treatment 4, 7.5g benzoic acid per kg of feed and Treatment 5, 10g benzoic acid per kg of feed. Parameters assessed included
final body weight (FBW), total weight gain (TWG), daily weight gain (DWG), total feed intake (TFI), daily feed intake (DFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The results showed that dietary treatments had significant (p0.05) differences among treatments in initial body weight (IBW), TFI, DFI, FCR, cost of total feed intake (CTFI) and feed cost per kg gain. It was concluded that up to 10g of benzoic acid can be included in the diet of broiler chicks for optimum growth performance without any deleterious effect on birds
Exploring implications of elephant movements between land use types in a semi-arid savannah landscape
Full text linkJournal Article, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science, North--West University-PotchefstroomWhile the numbers and distribution of African savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana) have declined in most African range States, they have been steadily increasing in much of southern Africa. In Namibia’s arid north-west, elephants are expanding beyond Protected areas (PA) into multiple types of land use, leading to socio-economic implications, both positive and negative. Our study aimed to quantify cross-land use movements and fence breaches and explore the institutional, legislative and policy implications of fencing, and a new conservation paradigm for the area. We used satellite movements of eight collared elephant herds in multiple types of land use to the south and west of Etosha National Park for one year. Of these herds, seven had home ranges spanning multiple PA/communal/commercial landscapes, often crossing fences with management or disease significance. The implications of the movements between land uses are assessed in the context of relevant policy regarding management and economics. We conclude that despite challenges to livestock disease control and fencing damage, the expansion of elephant range has resulted in economic benefits to landowners and communal conservancies through tourism and possible consumptive use opportunities, as well as an improvement in general wildlife conservation practices in the area. Regardless of these benefits and the growing interest among rural residents in supporting the establishment of elephant corridors and the removal of fences, Namibia’s legal and policy framework creates numerous implications for landowners and managers when considering fence breaches by elephants. We conclude with recommendations for holistic situational analysis of policy, law and practice and the consideration of amendments to outdated fencing requirements, thereby unlocking the economic and conservation benefits of elephant range expansion in the area
Transnational cooperation in EU: opportunities for addressing invasive alien species
Full text linkNorth-West University of South Africa in Potchefstroom, South AfricaGovernment efforts to address invasive alien species (IAS) need collective actions,
cooperation, and pooling of resources and expertise across borders. What is the status
of transnational collaboration in the European Union (EU) to address IAS? First, IAS
management projects within the EU were identified by a systematic literature review.
Second, role players’ perspective on transnational collaboration was investigated
through a questionnaire. Third, challenges and opportunities were explored in an
engagement workshop. This paper shows that language barriers and limited public
access to information on IAS management across the EU have resulted in the work
of competent authorities being little recognized by research projects and EU-funded
initiatives. Our findings highlight that while there is a growing transnational
consciousness, transnational projects are more academic in nature rather than involving
direct collaboration between competent authorities. Finally, this paper advocates
for policy agendas endorsing the gaps identified in protocols, plans and chains of
actions necessary for effective management of IAS
The effects of COVID-19 on rural communities in Mahikeng Local municipality
Full text linkJournal Article, Faculty of Humanities, Population and Health-- Mahikeng CampusGlobal pandemics are known to disturb livelihoods. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an example of such pandemic in the recent past. Its outbreak prompted a global response characterised by unprecedented measures to mitigate its spread. Several preventative measures were recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) such as lockdowns to curtail the transmission of the virus and manage the crisis it caused. These measures hampered the movement and distribution of basic commodities inadvertently triggering a series of socio-economic consequences particularly in rural areas. This study delves into the intricate interplay between the COVID-19 lockdown and its impact on the accessibility, affordability and availability of basic commodities within the context of the Mahikeng Local Municipality, in a rural setting. Quantitative survey data were collected from 260 households, which were randomly selected. The data analysis was performed using chi-square, with a significance level of p < 0.05. The results showed that basic commodities were largely available (99%) in the market during lockdown. There was no significant association between background variables and availability of basic commodities. Accessibility of basic commodities was affected by many factors such as concerns of COVID-19 outbreak. The study demonstrated that prices of basic commodities increased during lockdown, thereby having a ripple effect on accessibility and affordability of basic commodities. However, the availability of basic commodities was less affected.
Contribution: The case study approach, focusing on Mahikeng Local Municipality, is essential for capturing localised nuances and providing actionable insights to policymakers, researchers and community leaders seeking to mitigate the negative effects of lockdowns on rural populations.Acknowledgements
The researchers express their gratitude to the gatekeepers and the respondents of Tsetse and Miga villages for giving them permission to conduct the study. In addition, the authors thank the research assistants for their support